A few notes regarding the Pittsburgh Pirates’ activity this offseason:
- With the Rod Barajas signing, the Pirates still need to find a first baseman and a short stop at the major league level for the 2012 season.
- The team has shown some interest in Baltimore Oriole’s corner infielder Mark Reynolds. Reynolds consistently leads the majors in strikeouts and has a career batting average of just .221, but the 28-year-old has 40+ home run power, something the Pirates are desperately looking to add to their futile offense.
- The Pirates have show interest in retaining first baseman Derrek Lee, but word has it that Lee wants to sign with a contender this year.
- Former Detroit Tigers short stop Ramon Santiago is currently on the Pirates’ target list to replace Ronny Cedeno as the team’s everyday short stop. At 32-years-old, Santiago would be nothing more than a stop-gap until the team feels Chase d’Arnaud is ready to take over everyday duties, which could be later this season. Santiago’s career line: .249/.316/.342. He has never hit more than seven home runs in a season. I’d personally rather have Cedeno, who at least has some upside.
- The team is also interested in former Houston Astros short stop Clint Barmes, who manager Clint Hurdle coached in Colorado. Barmes is said to want a multi-year deal while the Pirates only want to bring the 32-year-old in on a one-year contract. Barmes hit .244 last season in Houston with 12 home runs and 39 RBI. He hit 23 home runs in 2009 in Colorado, when Hurdle was fired mid-season.
- The Pirates have been linked to free agent third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff and outfielder Josh Willingham. Kouzmanoff is an unlikely addition as the 30-year-old wants a full-time starting job, while the Pirates would bring him in to – at best – split time with Pedro Alvarez. The Willingham rumors have been denied by Josh’s agent.
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